Parades to mark battalion’s freedom of borough honour

8:05am Tuesday 7th September 2010

By Paul Cook

TENS of thousands of people will take to the streets to welcome soldiers from The Rifles as they receive the freedom of three boroughs this week.

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion The Rifles have been invited to exercise the Freedom of Darlington, Stockton and Sunderland.

The 3 Rifles Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Nick Kitson said: “It is a matter of great pride for us all to receive the Freedom of the Borough on behalf of the regiment, cementing our allimportant relationship with the local community yet further.”

Tomorrow, they will be in Darlington, with parades in Stockton and Sunderland on Thursday and Friday.

They will be joined on the march by veterans, TA soldiers and cadets. Large crowds are expected at each of the venues.

Also in attendance will be will be local dignitaries. HRH The Duke of Gloucester will attend the Darlington parade along with senior military representatives.

The 3 Rifles, which recruits from the North-East and North Yorkshire and incorporates what was previously the Durham Light Infantry, have recently returned from a tour of Afghanistan.

Darlington’s parade starts at 1pm at St Augustine’s Way car park. It will arrive in the Market Square at 1.10pm.

There is an inspection and a salute to HRH The Duke of Gloucester in the Market Square before a civic reception in the Dolphin Centre at 2pm.

Before it starts, the Rifles Band and Bugles will perform a concert in front of the Joseph Pease statute at 12.15pm. During the ceremony, mayor Councillor Bryan Thistlethwaite will present Brigadier Justin Maciejewski of The Rifles with a scroll. The Rifles will in return present a silver bugle to the borough.

Coun Thistlethwaite said: “We are extremely proud of Darlington’s long association with The Rifles, who risk their lives both home and abroad to serve our country.

The Stockton parade, on Thursday, starts at 12.30pm from Church Road and marches down High Street, past the war memorial. It marches back up High Street at 12.50pm for a civic reception, hosted by mayor Colin Leckonby, at the RAOB Club.

Councillor Leckonby said: “We are delighted to welcome The Rifles to Stockton to receive the Freedom of the Borough and we hope to again see the crowds come out to show their pride in them.”

Friday’s march in Sunderland starts at noon and marches down Burdon Road to the war memorial for the inspection and speeches. The parade continues back up Burdon Road to the civic centre for a reception.

Survivors of the 125th Antitank Regiment who endured captivity in the Far East during the Second World War will also be honoured.

Council leader Councillor Paul Watson said: “Sunderland has a long tradition of close links with the military. This Honorary Freedom is recognition of the regiment’s links to Sunderland in the past, the present and in the future.”

Lt Col Kitson will give a talk at Durham Town Hall tomorrow evening. Tickets cost £10 to raise money for Care for Casualties, and are available from the DLI Museum in Durham City.

And on Saturday, there will be a Sounding Retreat at Castle Green, in Durham City.

■ See tomorrow’s paper for an eight-page supplement marking the Rifles in Afghanistan.

Historic custom to thank forces

AS the 3 Rifles march through Darlington at the traditional 140 paces a minutes, they will be carrying on a custom that goes back thousands of years.

The tradition of granting Army regiments the freedom of a city or borough is thought to date back to the Roman empire.

In ancient Rome, in order to prevent ambitious generals mounting coups, it was forbidden for armed legions to enter the city of Rome.

In medieval times in Europe, this distrust of standing armies continued, and in many cities and towns only those regiments considered trustworthy were allowed to enter “with drums beating, colours flying, and bayonets fixed”.

When the mayor of Darlington, Councillor Bryan Thistlethwaite, passes a ceremonial scroll to the Rifles he will be continuing this legacy and thanking the battalion on behalf of the town for the work they have done.

The 3 Rifles will be joining a list of luminaries who have already been granted this privilege in Darlington, not least their predecessor regiment the Durham Light Infantry, which was afforded the Freedom of the Borough in 1996.

As well as long-serving councillors and civic dignitaries, other people to have been granted the honour are Winston Churchill, newspaper magnate Sir Charles Starmer, whose company Westminster Press owned The Northern Echo, and the legendary 19th Century general, Field Marshall The Right Honourable Frederick Sleigh, Earl Roberts of Kandahar and Pretoria.

In addition, the 34th (Northern) Signal Regiment (Volunteers) have also been granted the Freedom of the Borough.

Coun Thistlethwaite said: “The Freedom of the Borough is the highest civic distinction that can be conferred upon an individual or collective in recognition of outstanding service or particular civic association.”